The Second Great War
by BlueWolf1923
Summary: Sequel to Dragon Knights of Winterhold. The Aldmeri Dominion has invaded the Empire, and all of creation is taking sides. Dragons, daedra, divines, and mortals, nothing can escape the call to arms, and amidst it all, even the Dragon Knights are beginning to crack. A beast within, an ancient magic, a dark bloodlust. if the Knights fail, the Daedric Lords will rule. DB/Brelyna.
1. Love and War

The Second Great War

Note: this series is a sequel to my previous story, the Dragon Knights of Winterhold. I strongly advise against reading this without reading the first entry.

Another Note: to all of you who have already read Knights, thank you so much for coming with me this far. I'm lucky to have you, loyal readers.

X

K'ira pondered over the sword Dragonbreak, in its ornate Glass sheath, hanging at the side of his bed. The blade within was similar to a Blades katana, but the crystalline blade was colorless and clear. It was not a weapon of this world. Soon, he would have to wield it.

Brelyna rolled over, still half-asleep under the covers, and wrapped an arm around him. "today's the day, huh? I'm gonna miss this place."

For two months, they had been secluded in the ruins of Skuldafn, where no one could reach them without assistance from a dragon. They had savoured every moment of their honeymoon, but now, at last, it had come to an end. J'zargo had magically sent word from Winterhold that he and Odahviing would arrive today. Meanwhile, in Tamriel far below, the Aldmeri Dominion and Cyrodiilic Empire had been garrisoning the provinces and preparing for the first real battles of the war. But, as Akatosh had prophesied, the fighting had not begun, because there were still forces who hadn't chosen a side, such as the dragons and the Daedra.

"where's all our equipment?" Brelyna muttered. Both of them were clad only in their underwear, not much good for welcoming guests like the Arch-Mage of Winterhold, nor for fighting a war that would decide the fate of the world. "oh, there's yours," she said, and pointed to the dark blue robes folded neatly at the other end of the room.

K'ira looked around one last time as he put on his armour. This ancient Nordic building, one of the few still standing in Skuldafn, had become their villa. He finished donning the armour, and looked down at himself. It was modeled after the armour worn by ancient Dragon Priests, but the golden metal used in the armour segments was unlike anything a modern smith could forge, so K'ira substituted Ebony. The armour was complete with a hood and Ebony Dragon Mask, however the mask was not Nahkriin. In fact, Nahkriin had long since been damaged beyond use or repair, in battle with the master thief Mercer Frey.

Brelyna's armour was quite different, and had its origin in the explosion that destroyed Mehrunes Dagon's corporeal form, as well as most of Skuldafn. During the battle, Odahviing and Paarthurnax had both been injured badly enough to shed scales, particularly Paarthurnax when he was shot by a lightning bolt, completely shot like a cannon from battle.

When Dagon exploded, some Daedric energy had changed the texture of the scales, making them more resistant to a cut, but also softer, flexible, like leather. Brelyna and K'ira had worked together to assemble the form-fitting suit of dragon scales Brelyna was now wearing. The armour didn't really look protective at all, just a thin layer of snakeskin stretched tight over her body, in fact it appeared as though its sole purpose was to hug her curves, which actually did help, because anything from a robe to another layer of armour could be worn over it. But, according to the rigorous tests they had put it through before deeming it fit for use, it could stop anything from an arrow to a battleaxe. There were thin inlays of Dwemer metal set into the suit, each piece carrying a different enchantment, including a few that were completely new to Tamriel. Also notable was the fact that Paarthurnax's shining golden scales had been dyed crimson with snowberry juice, to match Odahviing's. This, too, was functional, any foe who sliced open a weaker outer armour would be fooled into thinking they had drawn blood.

Brelyna put on a suit of Elven armour, minus the helmet, and then her Nightingale cloak and hood. Sighing, Brelyna lay back on the bed, and her cloak splayed open over the bed of furs. "two months, they went by so quick!"

"well, we'd have to go back to civilization eventually. We were running out of food."

"yeah, I know." Brelyna sat up and retrieved her samurai-style Blades swords, hanging one on each hip, and the two Ebony daggers that hung in sheaths on her thighs. "I guess I have missed it, but only a little."

"look at it this way. We're Dragonborn. Two of the most valuable fighters the Empire has. They'll be sending us all over Tamriel, plenty of adventure and travel."

"oh, I love you!" she said, and flung herself off the bed, tackling him and kissing him. "you can make anything sound so cheerful." she giggled, and helped him up. "maybe we'll get to see Elsweyr, or Valenwood. They say it's always warm and sunny there."

"we could move there after the war," K'ira said.

"you're getting ahead of yourselves," J'zargo replied.

He was leaning against a stone pillar, wearing the robes of the Arch-Mage of Winterhold. Apparently, J'zargo had gotten even better at stealth.

"how did you get past the locks?" K'ira asked, and hugged his best friend.

"Ebony lockpicks," he said, and shrugged.

"nice. Are we ready to go?" Brelyna asked.

"we have a couple of hours, but they want to see us in Windhelm by nightfall."

X

Windhelm, the great stone city of Ysgramor, welcomed them at sunset, despite the fact that they rode atop the great red dragon Odahviing.

Ulfric Stormcloak escorted them to the Palace of the Kings, where Galmor Stone-Fist and General Tullius were arguing heatedly. "…and for the last time, we had no choice! If we hadn't signed the Concordat, the Thalmor would have destroyed us all!"

"you laid down and took it like dogs! Skyrim would have fought to the bitter end."

"we still will, don't you see? We weren't ready to wage war with the Thalmor… we are now," Tullius finished as he saw K'ira, Brelyna, and J'zargo enter. "ah, the great Dragon Knights."

"we're here for orders," K'ira said, and removed his mask, hanging it on a hook at his waist like Brelyna had done with Nahkriin.

"how familiar are you with Tamrielic geography?" he asked, and unfurled a map. "I assume you speak for the Knights."

"familiar enough that I recognize it. Where are we going, and what are we doing?""look here." Tullius took a stick of charcoal and darkened the border to the west and north of Black Marsh. "the Argonians have allied themselves with the Aldmeri Dominion. The Khajit of Elsweyr side with the Empire, as do the Dark Elves of Morrowind."

"so…" Brelyna stepped forward, and traced a path down through Morrowind and a bit of Cyrodiil, "let me guess. We're going to take this route through to Black Marsh, and help attack the northern border?"

"not attack, no. see, Black Marsh is at a heavy disadvantage in terms of interprovincial placement, so we can lay siege to it, but they know that their forces are damned near invincible in that swamp. We need to shift their allegiance to us… I've heard the rumours, K'ira, that you're the Listener of the Dark Brotherhood."

"you want us to assassinate the Argonian King."

Tullius tensed, then nodded slightly. "our forces have Black Marsh surrounded, and our hope is that their new leader will sign a treaty with us, to calm his people. Can you do this?"

"yes. We'll kill him."

Tullius sighed in relief. "would this be considered a Dark Brotherhood contract? Do you want payment?"

"this is an act of war, General," K'ira said. "we are soldiers."

"excellent. I understand the price for such a kill would be steep. How soon can you set out for Morrowind?"

"tomorrow, if you'd like."

"the sooner, the better. If we can align Black Marsh with Cyrodiil, we can move the Dunmer, Argonians, and Khajit all into Valenwood to reinforce the Bosmer armies."

X

Note: The chapter or chapters set in Morrowind will not come yet, instead the next few chapters will be set in Black Marsh, but I'm pretty sure I'm going to cover every province in this story.


	2. Nightingale's Creed: Brotherhood

The border of Morrowind and Black Marsh was a lush rainforest. Everywhere was green, beautiful, and lively. It was, however, marred slightly by the legions of lightly-armoured, heavily armed Imperial soldiers. There had yet to be bloodshed, but like the storm rolling in from the east, it would come eventually.

"so, we just walk right in?" Brelyna asked, sharpening a dagger."stealthily, but yes," K'ira replied. "I haven't been in such a warm climate since I was fifteen, and I left Elsweyr."

"you were only fifteen?"

"I was in great shape at the time, or I thought I was. By the time I reached Skyrim's southern border, two years ago, I was still so weak… just two years in the cold beauty of Skyrim, and I was the saviour of the mortal world. Looking back, it's a miracle I wasn't killed back then."

"and here you are."

K'ira nodded. He glanced westward to Elsweyr, then north to Skyrim, and finished, "here we go."

J'zargo followed just behind them as they crossed the border into Black Marsh. There was no immediate change to indicate that they had crossed into enemy territory, but a few minutes later, the rain began to pour, and trickled down through the trees above them, creating a symphony of waterfalls. It was by virtue of this noise and visual distraction that they were not spotted by the Argonian sentries in the branches.

J'zargo spotted them first, having the keenest eye. "get down," he whispered. "sentries, above us."

Brelyna looked up, and nodded. "this storm won't hold forever.""we'd better make good time, then." K'ira began walking again, but was suddenly aware of the squelching of every footfall on the soggy ground.

"oh, crap. Look." Brelyna pointed to a sentry posted in front of a great brown bog, looking in their direction. Any closer, and he'd see them.

"J'zargo came prepared for this." he opened a pouch at his waist and took out a crystal vial. "invisibility, for just a few seconds. Not enough to sneak by, but enough to sneak up."

"good. I'll go," Brelyna whispered, and downed the potion. Invisible, she began to sprint toward him, while unclasping her Nightingale cloak. Just as the potion wore off, she whipped the cloak into the Argonian's face and tackled him. He hissed and began trying to crawl to the swamp, being able to breathe underwater. Once he got to the edge of the bog, he grabbed Brelyna's ankle and swam like a fish into deeper, thicker mud. What he didn't anticipate, however, was that one of the enchantments woven into a necklace worn by Brelyna held a bubble of air around her face while under water, or, as the case was, mud. She already had a dagger drawn, while the Argonian had intended to use the swamp as his weapon. A quick stab to the heart ended the fight, and Brelyna stood up, and walked back to waist-height in the marsh, stumbling a bit under the added weight of the muck, packed into her Elven armour. She was covered in slick brown mud. "how's this for invisibility? Camouflage. We all have waterbreathing enchantments, right?"

"so we can follow the swamp further in, under the surface!" K'ira exclaimed, just quiet enough that the other sentries didn't hear him.

J'zargo took out a necklace from the pouch, and hung it around his neck. "Khajit do not like getting wet, so J'zargo prepared. This necklace will keep J'zargo dry."

K'ira explained, "I was unusual as a Khajit, most of them hate water, and mud even more. It's the fur, you see, so hard to keep clean. But, for one thing, I'm not furry anymore, and for another, I've always liked water." so, he followed Brelyna into the swamp.

J'zargo hesitated, until he heard sentries approaching to investigate the dead Argonian's hissing. He dove in headfirst, knowing the consequences if he didn't.

X

After a few hours and a few miles, the mud river led them to a barracks. What startled K'ira was that he recognized one of the Argonians, green-skinned and grinning. He was wearing Dark Brotherhood armour. "oh, we really lucked in this time," K'ira whispered. "what the hell is he doing here?"

"who?""Veezara. An assassin I worked with in the Dark Brotherhood. One of the best."

"he's a lizard. He might be aligned with his own kind," Brelyna whispered back. "not to be racist, but it does make sense."

"only one way to find out. You guys wait here, I'll talk to him." K'ira swam to shore, and stepped out amid the Shadowscale assassin clan. Everyone turned to look, but no one attacked him. "Veezara."

Veezara stepped forward, and his grin broadened. "it's been a long time, K'ira. I think I can guess why you're here."

"I was sent to kill the king of Argonia," K'ira said, using the native name for the province.

"and you have come to me, why?"

"funny story, actually. I was swimming my way to Thorn to kill him, but I passed through your camp and decided to say hello."

"he's not in Thorn, but fortunately for you, he just bought a villa there. He's on his way to move in, his logic is that living in Argonia's most vulnerable city will make him seem fearless." K'ira was silent, and considered this. He was tense, knowing that Veezara could attack him at any moment, but then Veezara added, "he'll pay for that fearlessness."

K'ira sighed in relief. "you're not going to try to kill me?"

"of course not, Dark Brother. However, I can smell the land-strider scent of your colleagues, just as I could smell you. The Arch-Mage of Winterhold, and your beautiful wife, I presume?"

"you could smell us?"

"most Argonians have an acute sense of smell, mine, however, is perfect. I'm sure you weren't spotted, but regardless, you can call them out here now. They'll surely want to clean off. No land-strider I've ever met has been so willing to touch the swamp as you and your friends."

In response, Brelyna and J'zargo came ashore. Whereas Brelyna was dripping mud, which was far better camouflage than the golden Elven metal, J'zargo was bone-dry, to the surprise of everyone except himself. His new enchantment had worked perfectly. He shrugged at the looks of awe, and sat on a wooden bench to relax.

"does this river run all the way to Thorn?"

"it surrounds Thorn," Veezara said, and added, "I assume you intend to follow it the rest of the way? I'm impressed. Perhaps there is Argonian blood in you three."

"why aren't you trying to kill us?""because Argonia has no king," Veezara growled. "the one that claims our throne is a sellout and a coward. As you land-striders would say, he is a snake."

"so you side with the Empire?"Veezara grinned. "oh, the irony. Just a year ago, we plotted the demise of Emperor Titus Mede II, and you, Listener, killed him. But yes, I prefer the Empire to those Thalmor dogs."

"glad to hear it. Where's the villa?"

"it's to the northeast side of the city, just a few streets from the walls. You can't swim through stone, so how will you get in?"

"Veezara, I'm not entirely sure I can trust you with that information. The Shadowscales serve the king, after all."

"you have no idea, do you?"

"not a clue." K'ira laughed.

"at any cost, avoid being spotted. The city is packed with guards, if even one sounds an alarm, you'll be fighting an army while the king flees."

X

Thorn's irrigation system filtered the thick swamp into clean, drinkable water in a pond around the city, meaning their concealment was gone. Its walls were black, ancient stone. The bricks were cracked and worn, they wouldn't do much good against siege engines, however Thorn's real defences were the jungles and swamps surrounding it for miles.

At the foot of the wall, the three assassins treaded water. J'zargo was the first to ask, "what now?""this is the northeast side, the King's villa should be nearby. Any gates we might find would be heavily guarded, so we should climb." to accentuate this, K'ira grabbed a crack between bricks and hauled himself out of the water.

It was dark, so the Argonian patrols in the city were carrying torches. This was a problem for K'ira, who was wearing robes plated with Ebony, but more so for Brelyna, in a suit of shining Elven armour. Any light that hit them would reflect, quite noticeable in the gloom.

At the top of the wall, they planned out their attack. "at least one of us needs to take a separate path, and distract the guards. It'd be best if that path was a roundabout way to the villa, to avoid suspicion," Brelyna said, and offered, "K'ira probably has the best chance of getting to the king and killing him."

"I'd be more useful as a distraction, I'll turn into a dragon and attack them that way."

"so maybe J'zargo should go," the Khajit whispered. "robes do not shine, and Khajit eyes see everything in the darkness."

"not a bad idea," Brelyna said, but added, "I want to go, as long as it's all right with you two."

"what's your plan? How do you get in, kill him, get out?"

Brelyna gestured to her Elven armour, and began, "this armour is too reflective. I'll ditch it and go with the suit of dragon scales."

"what suit of dragon scales?" J'zargo asked.

"watch." Brelyna unclasped the plate of armour on her left shoulder, revealing a buckle of leather underneath. She released the buckle, and the chest piece fell away in two halves, showing her second layer of armour underneath. She continued, "I'll get there along the rooftops, then, I'll open a window, preferably his bedroom window. I'll kill him with my dagger, a quick blow to the heart, and get to the nearest city wall and dive to the water below, where I'll be invisible."

"I like it, you've got my vote," K'ira said.

"J'zargo agrees, it is a good plan. But, how well can that flimsy snakeskin protect you?"

"it's dragon scales, infused with Daedric magic. I'm practically invincible."

"well, then, what will J'zargo do?"

"go with her. A short distance behind her, so if anyone catches her, you can kill them with a spell or an arrow, and continue on. To help with that I'll try a new Shout. VEN MUL RIIK!"

This was a Shout Alduin had unintentionally taught him, which summoned a thick cloud of fog that could only dissipate through the use of the Clear Skies Shout. Without hesitation, K'ira jumped off the wall, transforming and growing into a great blue dragon with golden skin stretched between the blue spines of his wings. There was no greater distraction than a dragon flying over your head. He roared, not a Shout but a pure, animal roar.

Brelyna dashed along the rooftops of Thorn, which wasn't easy given the slant they had to let rain slide off. Black Marsh was a marsh, after all, because of all the rain that pounded down on it.

Only one guard attempted to stop her, but he never managed to cry out, let alone attack. She tackled him, and with the same motion, plunged a dagger between his ribs. She stood, cringing as the body slid to the road below. If anyone saw it, they'd search for her…

"what am I doing?" she whispered to herself, and cast a quick resurrection spell on the dead Argonian. No one would notice him glowing a faint blue, at least not through this fog, and anyone close enough to hear him moaning would likely take an arrow to the face before they realized he was a thrall.

Satisfied, Brelyna kept moving, and grinned when she saw an open window across the final street between herself and the king's villa. She took a running start and leapt across the street, silent and invisible, vaulting through the window and rolling to her feet. She made her way to the master bedroom, picked the lock, and slid the door open silently. She drew her remaining dagger, and stalked toward the king's bed.

She gasped when she heard the creaking of a chair as its occupant stood. The man, obscured by darkness, clapped, jolting the king awake. "I knew it…" he growled. "what did you do, skin one of my guards? You Dark Elves know no dignity… kill her."

Veezara stepped out of the dark alcove, with a classic Argonian grin. He was wearing Dark Brotherhood armour, and wielding an Orcish sword.

Brelyna took a defensive stance, tossing aside her dagger and drawing her Ebony sword, which had yet to taste blood. "you son of a bitch. K'ira trusted you."

"I couldn't resist. I guess I just wanted the glory for myself. Now, drop your weapon."

Brelyna scowled, and let the sword clatter to the floor. The king picked it up, and levelled the tip of the blade at the center of Brelyna's chest.

"my king, do not bother. With respect, if you kill her, it'll be messy. You don't want to stain the floor." the king hesitantly pulled back the sword, but held onto it. "besides, it's like I said…" he turned and whipped his own sword through the king's neck, beheading him, "I wanted the glory for myself."

Brelyna had stepped back in shock. "you… whose side are you on, anyway?"

"yours," he replied, and dropped his weapon. "well, you didn't technically kill him, but you would have, if I hadn't, so we'll call that a successful mission, Dark Sister."

Brelyna picked up her sword from the growing pool of blood. J'zargo walked into the room, bow in hand, and found the grisly scene. "well, if J'zargo didn't trust you before, he does now." he lowered his weapon. "K'ira's distraction is losing steam, the guards are spreading out. It's best we leave while we can."

"alright." Brelyna opened the bedroom window, and climbed out through it, making her way back toward the city wall.

X

K'ira swung Dragonbreak with ease and lightning speed, staining the crystal blade with even more blood. Each time he landed a hit, kill or otherwise, Dragonbreak glowed, transferring Akatosh's latent energy from victim to attacker. Although this had no ill effect on his foes, who were oblivious to the energy's existence, K'ira grew stronger with every strike, more ready to transform back into a dragon.

Brelyna called down to him from a rooftop, "come on, we're ready to move!"

He spun 360 degrees with Dragonbreak outward, cutting down a few enemies and cutting one in half. He then Shouted, "FEIM ZII GRON!" and sheathed his sword. Impervious to their raging attacks, he sprinted through the furious guards and scrambled up the building to meet the others, including Veezara. "you're here?"

"long story," he mumbled. "hurry."

They made their way to the wall, and flung themselves off it, into the pond below, surrounding Thorn. They had done it.

K'ira swam over to Brelyna and kissed her. Due to their waterbreathing enchantments, it didn't matter that they went underwater, still kissing, arms wrapped around each other. J'zargo made for the shore, making no attempt to bring the lovebirds back to their senses. Veezara, though he loved to swim, followed, to give the two some privacy. After a few minutes, K'ira and Brelyna came ashore as well.

X

The following morning, the four assassins headed further from Thorn, choosing a secluded grove of trees and vines with a stream of fresh water nearby. There, they spent the next week, awaiting either an attack from the Argonians or word of their surrender.

On the eighth morning, K'ira woke on the sandy bank of the river, with Brelyna asleep next to him. Her head rested on his shoulder, her left leg hooked around his, and her left arm thrown over his chest. He didn't want to wake her, so he relaxed, enjoying her embrace and the soft bed of sand…

"well, you look comfortable."

Brelyna woke, startled, and rolled off of him, reaching for a weapon that wasn't there. K'ira, too, had turned to face the voice, which belonged to General Tullius.

"actually, we were comfortable. So, Black Marsh signed the treaty?"

"last night, yes. However, I'm asking you three to stay and investigate rumours of Daedric activity south of Stormhold. It was one of the terms of the treaty that the Dragonborn, meaning both of you, would confront the Daedra they believe to be Namira."

X

Next chapter, another Daedric Lord tries to kill Brelyna, like Mehrunes Dagon did, but this time, it won't go so well…


	3. Oblivion Rising

Having shed her Elven armour in Thorn, Brelyna had not yet taken the time to get a new set of armour to fit over her suit of dragon scales, but for now, that was okay, although she wanted to wear an external layer of armour, to conceal the suit's existence, and thereby shock an opponent with her invulnerability. On the other hand, the suit was so thin and light, she could move at almost twice her normal speed…

"Brii?"

"huh?" Brii had been the nickname K'ira had given her, it was Draconic for 'beauty.' "oh. We're here?"

"just about. Do you really think it's Namira?"

"I wouldn't doubt it." Brelyna looked out the window of the carriage, which was sturdy, but extremely light. The horses already needed special roads to travel through the swampy ground of Black Marsh, and for now, these roads could only be found in the northernmost reaches of the province.

It was clearly a shrine to Namira, but apparently, it was the residence of the Daedric Princess herself. That was why they were here. The hardy Argonian natives were terrified that there could be a Daedra Lord so close to one of their great cities, Stormhold.

K'ira threw the door open as soon as the carriage stopped. He pointed to the silk web over the entrance to the shrine. "Frostbite Spiders. I'd know that stuff anywhere.""ugh." Brelyna drew her sword, and cast a fireball at the web with her left hand. "if there's one thing I hate, it's spiders." Namira, on the other hand, loved all things repulsive, especially spiders, a fondness shared by fellow Daedric Mistress Mephala, ironically a patron to Dark Elves.

"what did she do, import them?" J'zargo growled. "if there are giant spiders roosting here, on the far side of Tamriel from their native province, it's safe to say this is no mere shrine."

"well said, J'zargo." K'ira drew his crystal sword, Dragonbreak, a gift from Akatosh himself, and added, "let's go kick her ass."

They headed into the shrine, which had an eerie resemblance to Nordic ruins. It felt as though they had never left Skyrim. They were met early on with five spiders, but they weren't Frostbite Spiders. These were six feet tall, shining black, and they bore Daedric writing on their shells. These were Spider Daedra, favoured thralls of both Namira and Mephala. K'ira lunged forward, drawing his sword and slicing cleanly through each beast once. Dragonbreak was meant for his arm alone, and with its hilt in his hand, it could achieve speed greater than the wind power granted by Elemental Fury. He froze, sword buried in a spider, and relaxed, sliding his weapon free and sheathing it. He was ready to become a dragon at any moment, but in a constricted stone hallway with no enemy in sight, he decided against releasing his godly power.

"what do you think of the Threshold of Darkness?" Namira's disembodied voice whispered.

"it's not that dark," K'ira said, and looked around. Born a Khajit, he was unused to noticing the darkness, but still, it was true, the hall was well-lit with torches.

"the Darkness here means Oblivion, Son of Akatosh. Within these walls, I am drawing my power into your mortal world, creating a new realm which I can travel from far more easily."

J'zargo drew one of his various weapons, Dawnbreaker, the sword of Meridia, and let its purifying light banish Namira's voice.

K'ira turned to face J'zargo, noting the pained scowl on his face. "are you okay, brother?""J'zargo is… worried, nothing more."

K'ira didn't believe his friend's response. J'zargo was on edge, something had him far past worried. Further, J'zargo actually looked and sounded ill. But, K'ira decided now wasn't the time to argue. They went deeper in, and heaved open a great steel gate, revealing the most unlikely sight.

It was a beautiful rainforest, the epitome of a tropical paradise. It was light by an artificial sky, complete with a shining, immobile sun. "this is a holy place. I can taste the power of the gods on the wind. Kynareth's wind."

J'zargo growled, "J'zargo knew it."

"you expected this?" K'ira turned to J'zargo. "you know something, and you're not telling us. Why?""J'zargo will explain, and show you all his research, but not now, not here. There is a chance Namira is listening."

"then we go back. We need to talk about this."

They exited the once-hallowed sanctum, and J'zargo began, "at Winterhold, J'zargo has been studying the power of Daedra. They are much like gods, and their powers work in similar ways. Their powers mesh together, so if a Daedra gets access to an Aedra's power source, that Daedra can twist it to his side, and use the power in it, but an Aedra can do the same to a Daedra. So, here, Namira is corrupting Kynareth's temple, and creating a realm of darkness, apparently, she hasn't made much progress, as that forest is still alive."

"why didn't you let us in on this?""it hasn't been done in thousands of years, since the Dwemer wielded the Heart of Lorkhan. Since they weren't gods, it didn't go well for them.""so how do we fix it?""ah, this is why J'zargo was so worried. As mortals, we wield various artifacts of the gods and Daedra who align themselves with us. Essentially, we will use our power against Namira's, and should we lose, Namira will overtake the relics we wager, and absorb their power as well."

"alright. I've got Akatosh's Dragonbreak. What about you two?"

"J'zargo has Dawnbreaker. Brelyna?"

She shrugged. "my armour, I guess. It's infused with Mehrunes Dagon's power."

"this won't do. We'll need Odahviing." Odahviing was carrying a chest full of ancient and powerful artifacts, which he was happy to ferry around due to the fact J'zargo had taught him to harness their power.

K'ira called out, "OD AH VIING! DRUN KRUZZIK ZUNNE!"

Odahviing blew through the clearing surrounding the temple, and dropped a chest down on the roof of the temple. However, a wave of purple fog then rolled out of the temple. "the sooner we get in there, the better," K'ira said, and climbed to the roof of the temple. He opened the unlocked chest, and looked through its contents while silently thanking his brother . The Staff of Magnus, Volendrung, and three suits of Nightingale armour were inside, one of which was also infused with Boethiah's power.

They carried this equipment into Kynareth's temple, and roamed deep into the forest. At its heart, they found Namira's earthly form, surrounded by fifty feet of blackened trees and dead soil in all directions. They laid the artifacts on the dead earth, and Namira cringed. "how dare you bring those things here?""we have come to exorcise you, and liberate Kynareth's realm."

"you're welcome to try!" Namira howled, and sent them all flying with a wave of forceful energy.

Only Brelyna remained within the circle of devastation, J'zargo and K'ira had been thrown back into the forest. She looked around at the scattered artifacts. A few were missing, but she took up Volendrung and the Ebony-Nightingale hybrid armour she had once worn. She donned the armour, then charged into battle.

X

K'ira held Dragonbreak with both hands, staring into the face of Molag Bal, who wielded his skull-engraved personal mace. "calm yourself, Dovahkiin. I will not be fighting you tonight."

"then why are you here?""to watch my Champion kill you."

A red-scaled Argonian in Ebony armour, minus a helmet, stepped into view. He held no weapon, until Molag Bal handed him the mace. His free hand lit up with an aura of fire, and he hissed.

K'ira and the newcomer circled each other, weapons ready, until K'ira and Molag's Champion both Shouted, "FUS RO DAH!"

Both of them were blown backward, both crashed into trees, both got up. Both possessed the Thu'um.

However, only K'ira held Dragonbreak. Only K'ira had the power of a true Dovah, so K'ira unleashed this power, and became the dragon Dov-Ah-Kiin, Dragonkind Hunter Born.

The Champion raised the mace and struck K'ira in the face with it, but K'ira responded by roaring, "FO KRAH DIIN!" The Champion was blown backward, and dropped his mace. Argonians weren't used to the cold. "IISS SLEN NUS!" K'ira thundered, and tasted a hint of bloodlust, the likes of which were known only to Dovah. He coiled before the Champion and his indifferent master, and spun, shattering the frozen Argonian with a swipe of his tail. Molag Bal disappeared, the mace along with him.

Meanwhile, Brelyna and Namira circled each other, Brelyna wielding Volendrung, Namira wielding a sword-sized, serrated spike of Ebony. They had heard K'ira and the Argonian Shouting, but Brelyna had made the mistake of turning to look. Namira cried out in triumph, and attacked. Brelyna took the blow on her forearm, a desperate block, but it worked, thanks to the incredible integrity of her Daedra-dragon armour. Namira wasn't sure she had drawn blood, or just exposed Brelyna's scarlet under-armour, but either way, it had been a satisfying hit. Brelyna, however, swung Volendrung in a great wide arc, forcing Namira in her vulnerable, mortal form to jump backward. They both swung in sync, and their weapons clashed between them.

X

Brii Lein Ah. Beauty, World's Hunter. It was a fitting dragon name for her, K'ira thought, while making his way closer to the sound of clashing weapons. J'zargo seemed to not be in any danger, but K'ira hadn't seen him. Brii, she was indeed beautiful. On their wedding day, her deep brown hair had been tied back into a ponytail which hung halfway down her back, with blue mountain flowers woven through it, giving a full view of her smiling face. Her eyes, as with any Dunmer's, glowed red, which most residents of Skyrim would have seen as merely a terrifying flame, but most residents of Skyrim were Nords. He, being a dragon beneath his skin, respected her intimidating gaze as another form of beauty, the beauty of ferocity. And the rest of her name, Lein Ah, meant World's Hunter. Surely, there was nothing in the mortal world she couldn't kill, or more likely, hunt. Almost any mortal creature would flee in terror from the Grey Fox. She had even routed a Frost Dragon once, a feat K'ira himself had never managed. True, he was confident in his ability to slay any dragon, but not one had ever ran away from him. Brelyna's fury, however, was akin to a pack of Hircine's ravenous hounds, or an army of Nordic heroes sent forth from Sovngarde by Shor. She was an avenging scourge in battle, and he saw this as he broke through the edge of the forest, witnessing her single-handedly take on the might of a Daedric Mistress. True, he had confronted and even defeated Mehrunes Dagon, cast him into the mire of Oblivion's lowest chaotic realm, but he had been fighting to save his beloved from eternal damnation. Brelyna was viciously duelling Namira solely to aid a goddess whom she had never prayed to, nor cared about. In fact, most Dunmer actually worshiped Daedra, namely Azura, Boethiah, and Mephala. She, however, was losing ground to Namira, as she had lost ground to Mehrunes Dagon. K'ira pulled an invisibility potion from the folds of his deep blue robes, and approached invisibly.

He was too late. Namira, with one final sweep of her weapon, disarmed Brelyna, then drew back her arm and stabbed forward into her belly. It was just like before, yet Brelyna did not collapse as she had on the end of Dagon's blade. Instead, she took a step back as Namira released the hilt of the jagged weapon. She grabbed the hilt and pulled, noting that it didn't slide out of a wound, it fell out of a tear in armour. Most of the blade was crumpled beyond use, the dragon scales had stopped it dead in its tracks. Brelyna grinned viciously, and tore open the Nightingale armour, causing it to turn to smoke, as it always would when damaged beyond repair. Now far lighter on her feet, Brelyna lit her hands with frost magic, and prepared to fistfight a Daedra Lord. Namira set her hands aflame, and lunged, attempting to punch Brelyna in her now badly bruised stomach. When Brelyna jumped back out of her reach, Namira instead launched a fireball, which Brelyna countered with a weak Frostbite spell, turning both spells to a plume of steam. Through this obscuring cloud, Brelyna charged, and attempted a roundhouse kick, but Namira ducked at the last moment. K'ira then broke his invisibility by swinging Dragonbreak, catching Namira off guard. The blow severed the arm she threw up in defense.

Namira stumbled backward, then laughed evilly as her arm grew back. She sprouted and spread two black bat-wings, and took off into the air. K'ira turned to Brelyna, and asked, "can you heal that?" nodding to the hand she was holding to her injured belly.

"no problem. Where's J'zargo?" she asked, as a golden light radiated from the hand on her stomach.

"I haven't seen him."

X

J'zargo tasted blood in his mouth, and felt his furry skin tear as he grew a foot and caught fire, subsequently destroying his robes. The Staff of Magnus lay in the dirt a few yards away, and he knew it would do him no good to crawl for it. There was no enemy to smite with it, he was helpless now against himself.

A year prior, he had contracted an illness which should never have even existed. It was no blessing of Hircine, nor a mundane disease of the mortal world. It was the first time he had wielded the Staff, and he was trying desperately to repair a magical anomaly surrounding the Eye of Magnus in the southern mountains of Skyrim. That was a story for another time, but what mattered was that something from within the Eye had struck him and nearly killed him. From that moment, he had been restraining this curse mentally and physically, but he had never known what exactly would happen.

Now he knew.

X

Namira dive-bombed K'ira, but he dodged, and Brelyna hit Namira with an Ice Spear. The Daedric Mistress flew upward with the four feet of ice lodged in her chest, and pulled the bloody ice out with both hands.

Then, all three of them turned to face J'zargo, or what was left of him, coming out through the trees into Namira's field of dead trees and sterile earth. He was more or less a being of fire, around which a vortex of wind raged. The earth under him crumbled and shook, but worst of all was the sound of rushing water in the distance.

Namira was struck from the sky by a boulder which flew out of the ground and homed in on her. Then, the elemental being J'zargo had become gave a terrifying growl, as the roaring water grew louder, and finally, a tsunami tore apart the forest behind J'zargo, then obliterated the rest of Kynareth's beautiful realm.

X

Two hours later, Brelyna woke, face-down in soaking marsh. She panicked for a moment, fearing drowning, then remembered, her necklace allowed her to breathe underwater. She stumbled to her feet and looked around, while her head pounded and her muscles ached in rebellion of her every motion.

The tsunami had levelled the forest, and now all that remained was a flat field of mud, water, and destroyed, shattered trees, although a dense fog covered the entire wasteland. She looked around for a weapon. Volendrung was too heavy to wield in her current state, and was missing anyway, so she summoned her Bound Sword, air-light and deadly. Namira likely survived, so she was still in the temple. Although J'zargo had seemingly washed away her circle of corruption, he had also destroyed Kynareth's sacred trees. Any attempt to take control of the temple would now be far more potent on both sides.

Meanwhile, K'ira was healing J'zargo, who was bleeding over most of his body and curled up in a ball from the agony. "J'zargo, what was that power?" he asked, as he finished repairing a gash on his friend's back.

"the Eye of Magnus… it did something to J'zargo. J'zargo should have told you, but he thought he could figure it out."

"figure it out?"

"J'zargo was studying while you were in Skuldafn. A few new spells devised, a few mysteries unravelled, but never any detail of the Eye of Magnus. J'zargo had no idea what would happen, only that something would happen."

"well, look around, Arch-Mage. You seem to have created a whole new kind of magic." K'ira finished healing J'zargo, who took in the scene of utter destruction.

"what happened?"

"you were on fire, the wind was blowing, there was an earthquake, and then a wave came in and smashed everything. I think I read somewhere that the ancient Nords believed air, water, earth, and fire were the four elements of magic, but they're supposed to be fire, ice, and lightning these days."

"ancient magic, then, sealed within the Eye and carried around inside J'zargo. Let us hope it is gone now, there is no controlling this."

K'ira was about to reply, when he heard the explosion of a fireball, Brelyna crying out, and then a splash. He stood, turned toward the sound, and Shouted, "WULD NAH KEST!"

As he approached within the mighty gust of wind, the explanation for the sounds became clearer. The explosions had been caused by a duel of Destruction magic between Brelyna and Namira, which Brelyna lost after being sent flying by a fireball. She had cried out, and splashed down in mud about three feet deep. Namira, still unable to pierce Brelyna's magical armour, had resorted to trying to tear away her waterbreathing necklace, with the intent of drowning her. K'ira drew Dragonbreak and bellowed, "WULD!" rocketing himself over Brelyna and past Namira, while his sword arm extended and Dragonbreak decapitated Namira.

At the end of his Whirlwind Sprint, K'ira sheathed his sword, and turned to see Brelyna rise out of the marsh, hands already alight with flame, that was spreading up toward her shoulders. She was preparing to release a Fire Storm, and K'ira panicked, seeing that she was blinded, her eyes obscured with mud, because Namira had successfully unclasped her magic necklace. She didn't realize Namira was gone, and wasn't taking any chances. "Brelyna, wait!" his mind raced over potential ways to stop her from blowing him and J'zargo sky-high. He had survived a Fire Storm once, but barely. Although his Voice was beginning to tire, he Shouted, "WULD!" once more, and wrapped his arms around Brelyna, then kissed her.

Up until then, Brelyna was assuming she had somehow thrown Namira off herself, and the Daedric Mistress was taking advantage of her blinded state to trick her, using an imitation of K'ira's voice, but she didn't believe Namira could cast an illusion to perfectly mimic something she had never experienced, namely, a kiss from K'ira. So, she let the fire spell dissipate, and kissed him back.

After enjoying their brief moment of romance, Brelyna had to pull away and wipe her face clean. She opened her flame-red eyes and sighed, relieved at being able to see, and also confirming that it was in fact K'ira she had kissed. "so, Namira…"

"dead, or at least, her human form is. Since she didn't bring her true body into Tamriel like Mehrunes Dagon did, she won't take as long to recover."

"and what happened to this place?" she said, looking around.

"that would be J'zargo," the Arch-Mage said, and added, "sorry."

"we need to find out more regarding J'zargo's new powers, which he seems to have no control over. I'd say we're just about done in Black Marsh, so how about we head to the Imperial City?"

"I'm in," Brelyna chimed, "as long as Tullius has no objections." she gestured to the Imperial General who was making his way toward them, sword drawn. "over here, General!"

Tullius picked up speed, and sheathed his sword. "what in Oblivion did you three do?"

"we'll need to go to the Imperial Library to find out."

"the Imperial Library…" Tullius considered this for a moment. "I was going to send you to the Imperial City anyway, to negotiate alliance with the dragons and the Daedra Lord Hircine."

"the dragons are getting into this?"

"I received word by courier this morning. Paarthurnax has stepped down as leader of the dragons, and his second-in-command is Odahviing, here in Black Marsh. You need to get to the city, find out who claims to command the dragons, and ally yourself with them. Then, send word to me of the results. But more importantly, the Imperial City is under threat from Thalmor forces headed northeast out of occupied Valenwood. They've already taken Anvil and Kvatch, and it's only a matter of time until Skingrad falls and they march on the Capital."


	4. Imperial City

Note: I never played Oblivion. Hence, please forgive errors regarding the landscape of Cyrodiil, and particularly the Imperial City. I suppose I could excuse the little mistakes by saying a lot has changed in two hundred years, but still, I'm not even sure if the Imperial Library is in the Imperial City.

X

K'ira had slept peacefully, which led him to assume that he was no longer a werewolf. Even with Brelyna next to him under the covers, he had always had at least a minor nightmare once per night, but this morning, he remembered nothing but rest.

J'zargo, however, had not slept at all. He had been busy experimenting with his new "elemental" power. He strongly believed that one fears what one does not understand, so he had been trying to understand his dangerous, explosive magical abilities. He looked up from his journal as K'ira strolled in.

They had been given rooms in the finest, most expensive inn in the Imperial City, and J'zargo had already established his as an effective laboratory. From Skyrim, specifically Winterhold, he had brought a number of magical breakthroughs he had devised as Arch-Mage.

K'ira whistled, and picked up a Glass helmet, however, this was no ordinary Glass helmet. This one was made of the same blue glass Chillrend had been forged from. Chillrend had been destroyed in a minor conflict with Malacath, but it seemed J'zargo had experimented on the pieces. A notebook sat next to it, the pages ruffled and clearly full of writing. K'ira flipped through it, noticing mentions of a Frost Damage effect that translated seamlessly into armour, creating a Frost Cloak effect that was permanent, but slightly unstable. Another notable experiment was that of a glowing chunk of metal, seemingly replicated from the Staff and Eye of Magnus. "what's that do?"

"nothing yet," J'zargo replied, "but it seems to have an enormous capacity for storing magicka. Somewhat like an external reservoir of power, that can be drawn on in a mage's time of need."

"cool."

"if you don't mind J'zargo asking, why are you in J'zargo's room?"

"a courier dropped by this morning and woke me when he knocked. There's no peek-hole in these doors, so I climbed through the vents and landed behind him. Partly for fun, partly because I was feeling paranoid, mostly to show the milk-drinkers why peek-holes are useful."

"and he gave you the key?"

K'ira tossed J'zargo an elaborate golden key. "we can get into the Imperial Library now, all of it."

"excellent. J'zargo noticed something worth studying in the Arcaneum, but even Urag's collection only passingly mentioned it."

"what is this something?""it's called the Brotherhood of Lost Gods. Magnus and Lorkhan are the primary members, but with the White-Gold Concordat, it's likely Talos has joined them."

"go on." K'ira sat.

"J'zargo believes this Brotherhood can be contacted, and perhaps Magnus will shed light on J'zargo's condition."

"well, it'll have to wait a little while. We've got a meeting with the dragon diplomats in an hour. Odahviing is likely going to want his rank back, so it could get ugly."

X

K'ira and Brelyna had both used aliases upon arriving, to conceal the fact that both Dragonborn were in the city. Brelyna had greater freedom, already having her Thieves Guild alias, the Grey Fox, while wearing Nightingale armour to hide her identity, but K'ira's name could be linked to any of the factions he commanded, so he hid his face with his helmet and stayed silent, under the alias Grohiik. His cover, at least, would be blown when he spoke to the new Dragon King, whoever he was. This meeting was to take place in a courtyard in the western side of the city, where K'ira currently waited. Brelyna and J'zargo were watching from the rooftops.

A great black dragon flew over the horizon of towers, and thundered out a Fire Breath Shout. Involuntarily, K'ira drew Dragonbreak, the sword through which he drew latent power from the world, allowing him to transform into a dragon. This creature bore an uncanny resemblance to Alduin. The dull, slightly greyed scales, the spikes along his shoulders as well as his spine. His glowing red eyes, his sleek yet jagged wings. "DOV AH KIIN, ZU ALOK, ZU DAAL, ZU YAH NAHKRIIN!" it actually was Alduin.

"GRIND DOVAHKREN, AL DU IN! ZU'U FAASNU!"

"you can speak now, it seems!" Alduin laughed thunderously, and dropped out of the sky, attempting to land on and crush K'ira, but K'ira dodged, and roared as he transformed into the dragon. Alduin Shouted, "YOL TOOR SHUL!"

"KRII LUN AUS!" came K'ira's return, as he sank his teeth into Alduin's throat, and wrenched to the left, throwing them both into a statue of Martin Septim. Alduin broke free, rolled to his feet, and spread his wings in a gesture of intimidation, hissing. K'ira met this challenge by extending his own golden wings, and rearing onto his hind legs, making himself look even bigger than Alduin. They circled each other like this and snarled, until K'ira charged and rammed Alduin. "QO STRUN KEST!" he bellowed, striking Alduin in the face with a crackling surge of lightning. Alduin, literally shocked, retreated backward, and shielded himself with his wings, while K'ira took another deep breath, and Shouted, "IISS SLEN NUS!" freezing Alduin briefly in this defensive position.

Brelyna and J'zargo dove into battle while Alduin cracked the ice off his flexing wings. When he looked, he saw three very formidable opponents, where before had only been one.

"ENOUGH!" came the voice of the great god Akatosh, who made his appearance in the mortal world for the first time in two centuries, as an enormous golden dragon. He stood between his sons Alduin and Dovahkiin. "Alduin, you are here on my command, and my command is that you obey your superior, that superior being Odahviing."

"the traitor? But he is not even here!" Alduin cried, taking the tone of a child who has been scolded.

"then you will await his arrival, and be grateful I have not appointed the Dragonborn as your master. Though, perhaps you can learn things from him I could never teach you. Things like nobility, mercy, humility. Yes… and K'ira must learn the customs of the Dovah. It is settled. Beginning today, the two of you will fight every battle side by side, and learn from each other, until I deem you both fit to call yourselves Dovah."

K'ira realized that this meant Alduin was now his ally, yet he made no protest. "father, have the Dov chosen a side now?"

"they will when Odahviing makes it official, and to do that, he will need to arrive."

Brelyna swore at Alduin in the Dragon Language, basically revealing she was Dragonborn.

K'ira, unusually calm, asked Akatosh, "why is he alive?"

"because I have deemed it necessary. Alduin was only the World-Eater because he chose to be, it was never anything written in stone, nor decreed by any higher being. Thus, I have forced him to vacate his plans for an apocalypse."

X

In the Imperial Library, no weapons were allowed, nor was armour. Brelyna was already missing the safe embrace of her combat suit, but she had opted to come so she could design improvements for it. All three of them were wearing robes with the sleeves cut off at the elbows, so nothing could be slid in or out of a sleeve.

They split up, and searched the sections they thought would be most beneficial. K'ira immediately headed to the section on military equipment. J'zargo made for a section regarding mythology. Brelyna, with the best-formed plan, went in search of a book detailing different kinds of metals. She was first to accomplish her goal, and sat at an ancient hardwood table, flipping through the book until she found the proper alloy:

_In Skyrim, 2E 309, a blacksmith whose name is lost to history decided to melt together moonstone and Dwemer metal. He was successful in blending the two distinct materials, but the resulting alloy was soft and malleable, of no use as armour. However, the alloy had a distinct colour which is likened to that of mead mixed with milk. It is transparent with occasional bands of pure white moonstone running through it, and these pleasing aesthetic qualities make it popular jewellery, however, due to the relative scarcity of Dwarven metal, "sunstone" is not often forged. _

J'zargo, meanwhile, had found and was reading a book dedicated to the Eye of Magnus. He flipped through ancient accounts of its beauty and power, told by Atmoran men and Skyrim's Snow Elves alike. Then, just as he was about to close and return the book, he flipped to a page that was completely blank…

For a moment.

What appeared was a design for a suit of armour, unlike anything J'zargo had ever seen. As colour faded into the image, he realized the metal of the armour could only be the green alloy he had replicated from the Staff. J'zargo began to copy the design sketch into his journal, but then, the words "don't bother" appeared below the picture.

J'zargo had already concluded that Magnus was the only one who would give him this image, because only Magnus would know more about the metal than J'zargo. The "book" also had some apparent awareness of the world around it. "can you hear J'zargo?" he whispered.

Yes.

"will this help me use that magic?" he asked, referring to the explosive elemental magic he had used in Kynareth's shrine in Black Marsh.

Yes.

X

A few shelves away from Brelyna, K'ira flipped through a small book written by a skilled blacksmith about fifty years prior, dedicated solely to Daedric armour. He mumbled aloud, "the Daedra heart contains the essence of the Daedra's mortal body, made entirely of energy in Oblivion. It is this energy, brought into Mundus in such a small bundle, that allows the chemical composition of Ebony to change, become even stronger. However, only Ebony is used. This is not because it only works on Ebony, but because weaker metals can only hold to Daedric energy for a short period, akin to an enchantment that cannot be recharged. If a material as strong as Ebony were to be found, it might contain Daedric energy properly, permanently. In fact, the material might change drastically, as Ebony does…"

"what'd you find?" Brelyna asked, and sat next to him.

"I think I can replicate what happened with Dagon and the dragon scales. It won't work quite as well, but it should work. I'll need something stronger than or as strong as Ebony, though. Dragon bones might work."

"I saw J'zargo head out a few minutes ago. Like he was possessed. You ready to go?"

"yeah, I've got all the info I need."

X

They found J'zargo's room empty, but there was a map on the desk he kept most clean. On it, he had drawn an arrow, and written "I am here."

Following this map led K'ira and Brelyna to a blacksmith's shop, where they found J'zargo hammering away at a plate of glowing green metal. He was already wearing bracers of the same metal, and using extremely powerful fire magic to superheat the forge and make his work quicker. "it's incredible!" J'zargo said. "it's as though it doesn't drain J'zargo's magicka at all. J'zargo is almost done here, if either of you wish to use the forge."

"there's a fee," grumbled the blacksmith.

"you've already been paid," J'zargo replied, and nodded to the helmet of blue Glass on the blacksmith's workbench.

Brelyna began, "do you have access to refined moonstone?"

"we use it for Elven weapons. Valuable Elven weapons, I might add, so don't expect to get it cheap," said the blacksmith.

"I'll be needing a few bars," Brelyna said, and reached for her gold. She took the bars, and stacked the twenty pounds of moonstone next to the anvil. "I'm heading back to the inn, I need to grab some stuff. What about you two?"

"I've got everything," K'ira said, and opened the satchel where he kept his alchemical ingredients.

X

After a few hours, Brelyna finished her armour, and changed into it. In shape, it resembled steel plate armour, popular among Nord warriors and high-ranking bandits, but was thinner and sleeker. It also was coloured more like amber than metal. "it's not done yet, I still need to enchant it, but…" she trailed off.

K'ira put his hood up. The result of his work had made minimal use of the forge, instead, he had mostly just burnt Daedra hearts over a pile of dragon scales, which Shadowmere had been carrying. His new robe, which he had dyed black, was almost indestructible, but he would in fact suffer the same problem Brelyna had, being that any blunt attack would still beat him up. "so, it's armour that's designed to break?""it'll soften the blow, while the dragon scales stop it completely. I just need to enchant it to repair itself…"

Alduin's head came through the stone wall, and he grabbed K'ira in his jaws, not to kill but to grip him. As Alduin retracted his head, he dropped K'ira to the stone. K'ira readied Dragonbreak, but Alduin thundered, "Dovahkiin, I cannot and will not work with you. I would rather bow to a horse."

K'ira sheathed his sword. "you cannot kill me, and any attack on these people will be met with punishment from Akatosh, the Empire, and me. So, what's your plan?""what makes you think I cannot kill you?""because I'm stronger than ever, and every time we've fought, I've won."

"but I am immortal, and I can outlast you."

K'ira sheathed his sword, and gestured submissively. "you cannot outlast our father's wrath."

Alduin cocked his head to one side as he thought of this. "aam… perhaps you are right. Still, this does not give me reason to join you, only reason not to fight you."

K'ira turned to the hole in the wall, where Brelyna and J'zargo were walking through, weapons ready. He looked back to Alduin. "you don't hate this world, do you? You only want to eat the souls of the dead because you want power."

"yes, that is true, but you, I do hate."

"of course you do, I am your only rival. And yet, the dragons cooperated in the ancient times, when the humans bent their knee to the Dov."

"yet Paarthurnax, tahrodiis vokul Dovah, he betrayed me."

"he sympathized with the plight of humanity." K'ira paused, noting that he was trying to talk his former nemesis to work with him. "also, you were in charge. Now, Akatosh is. Unless one or both of us betray our father, there can be no treachery here."

"I cannot ever consider you a brother, you wingless parody."

"you've already seen what I am inside. I am as much Dovah as you, and as such, I know what most Dovah crave more than anything. Suleyk. Power."

"you offer me power?"

"more than you could gain in Sovngarde. More than you could gain through butchery and tyranny."

Alduin growled deep in his throat. "what power is this, then?"

"when I was grohiik, I discovered this truth." K'ira summoned a Bound Bow and the quiver of arrows that came with it. He took one arrow out and snapped it over his knee. "alone, even the strongest of us can break." he took ten arrows, and brought them down on the same knee, but they barely bent. "together, we are invincible. Together, nothing can defeat us. All you require is trust. I ask you not to befriend me, but to trust me."

Alduin was silent. "Vanmindoraan… it is incomprehensible to me. At least, it is for now. And yet, it intrigues me… I will consider your proposal, Dovahkiin." Alduin flew away.

J'zargo applauded. "the guards remark about your honeyed words, and it's true. Only you could talk Alduin into cooperating with humans."

"I haven't convinced him yet." K'ira turned, and saw J'zargo's full armour. Of all their new equipment, his was by far the most impressive. Over a black silk robe, he wore a chest guard, boots, bracers, and yet another replica dragon mask, all glowing green. He also wielded a sword of the same metal, but it was in a sheath of Ebony, leaving only the glowing hilt visible for now.

X

Brelyna and K'ira relaxed on the roof of the inn, watching the sun set. Neither were wearing armour, just light, high-quality clothes. The roof was sloped perfectly to allow them to lay down without sliding off, and still watch the sunset comfortably. "the Thalmor will arrive soon. I can almost see their torches on the horizon," K'ira remarked grimly.

"the Thalmor are the least of our worries," Brelyna replied, but added, "then again, 'soon' isn't 'now.' let's just enjoy the moment.""fair enough. Who knows, in the morning, we might have the World-Eater on our side."

"stop thinking about morning," Brelyna said softly, and added, "we have twelve hours alone until morning."

X

Another Note: these past few chapters have definitely not been my best work, but I tried to refine them before I uploaded them. From here on out, things get exciting. Two great armies collide in the heart of Tamriel, and we see what we really have to deal with. It's a lot more than High Elves.


	5. Battle for Cyrodiil

The dragon legions were ready to fly, and among them were Odahviing and Paarthurnax, but Alduin had not yet decided his place in the war. Odahviing, clad in heavy Ebony armour, custom forged for his massive frame, said, "Drem Yol Lok, Dovahkiin." he nodded his head downward slightly in respect.

"Drem Yol Lok, Odahviing. Are you all ready?"  
"as the sun rises over this city, our Thu'um will fall like endless night upon the enemy."

"excellent. We can see their first line of attack, Dwemer Centurions. Use Fire Breath, and they should be down in no time."

"the Dovahkiin has spoken! Fire shall be the first hail of destruction!" Odahviing roared to his army, all wearing similar armour. The dragons' wingbeats were deafening as they thundered into the air over the Imperial City.

Brelyna put a hand on K'ira's shoulder. "the scouts are saying the Thalmor are still picking Bosmer arrows out of their asses. They didn't leave anyone behind, so Valenwood's forces are blocking their retreat. If we win here, we win both Valenwood and Cyrodiil."

"that means they're desperate. For the Thalmor, it's winner take all here."

K'ira looked out over the walls of the Imperial City. Two Eras after General Talos conquered Tamriel, the Dragonborn was once again in command of the Imperial Legion.

"you look like Talos," Brelyna said, with an emotion in her voice that sounded like awe. "not quite the god, but the man who conquered the world."

"I feel like him." K'ira looked down as the dragons tore into the Dwemer constructs. The bronze machines never stood a stood a chance. Still, what tugged at K'ira was the World Eater's absence. "Alduin will make his decision today, or Akatosh will make his own. I feel it." Odahviing, far below, picked up a Centurion in his jaws and threw it as he took off, crushing another Centurion, one of only a few still standing. When the remaining handful fell, the dragons took to the air, retreating to the Imperial City. The next two waves of enemy forces, a thousand archers and an unknown number of mages hidden among them, advanced over the broken machines. "clever. We don't know who among those men are mages, nor how many or how powerful they are."

Whoever was in command of this army, they were immensely intelligent. Even how they had crossed the lake surrounding the city had been genius. During the night, an incredibly powerful mage had frozen the southwest surface of the lake, and then the area they advanced over had been covered in earth. It was like building land. K'ira knew that this mage, whoever they were, was easily capable of turning the tide of the battle. They would have to be identified, located, and captured, likely killed.

The archers began firing at the city walls, and their arrows exploded on impact, jarring pieces of rock free and weakening the wall, very slowly. "they're not really trying to bring down the wall, this is a trap!" K'ira ran a hand through his hair. "damn it, they'll want me to send out whatever I can to deal with the archers, then take it down with something I won't see coming, like the mages. They'll probably try to take down this wall, and the archers will flood in, knowing that my best shot at taking them out will be gone already."

"relax. If they're not trying to take the walls down yet, then we have time. Where's that map?" Brelyna asked, and looked around. "ah, your pack." she reached for the collection of equipment K'ira had brought. "the western bridge. We could send forces out through there, and flank the Thalmor from the north."

K'ira considered this. "the Imperial Army is ready?"

Brelyna looked down over the sea of steel-plated soldiers. "they look ready to me."

"alright. Open the gates!" K'ira bellowed, and the soldiers marched forward. "priority, garrison the bridge! I want every Destruction mage among you freezing that lake with Ice Storms, Alteration mages, Telekinesis on the ice, raise a wall on both sides! Odahviing, take your heavy armour troops and distract the archers. Try to stay out of range of the arrows, they explode."

Odahviing nodded, selecting the twenty dragons wearing the most armour, and flew out over the wall. A hail of Frost Breath came down on the archers, injuring and weakening them. Odahviing was clever, tiring out the archers while he distracted them.

J'zargo came running up the steps to K'ira and Brelyna's viewpoint. "J'zargo can destroy the archers, when you give the signal," he panted.

"alright. When the ice is done, and the dragons retreat, crush 'em." K'ira glanced at J'zargo's distinctive and impressive armour of black cloth and glowing green metal. While he wore it, he could unleash magic from a long-forgotten age, when there were four elements of magic. He then looked down at the mages and dragons who were carrying out his orders to the letter. The Thalmor archers had spotted the ice walls being built by Destruction magic, but it was too late, the ice was too thick. "J'zargo, are you ready?" J'zargo nodded, so K'ira added, "they're all yours."

J'zargo stood at the edge of the wall, and assumed a stance customary of a master spell. As his arms raised, so did the water, in great, raging waves, and when he at last slammed the water down, it was a tsunami that obliterated the land-ice bridge and destroyed the army of archers.

"perfect. They only have one entrance now, the bridge we just fortified."

His confidence was destroyed when the entire Thalmor infantry swarmed the bridge and decimated the Imperials, forcing the survivors to flee into the city, chased by Thalmor before the gates could shut them out again. The dragons managed to stop their assault, but as the dragons' armour protected them from swords, the infantry were cloaked in a ward that stopped any Shout the dragons tried. "it's the mage again, we'll have to find him, and quickly."

"I can handle that." Brelyna cast a quick Clairvoyance spell, and held it long enough to illuminate a hooded, armoured warrior hidden deep in the ranks of infantry, already within the city. The mage looked up at her, sensing her magic. "quick, blast him!"

J'zargo launched a fireball, but it disintegrated against the mighty ward. He tried instead using a different element, one the ward wouldn't stop, and decided on earth. He raised a cobblestone the size of an apple, and fired it like a cannon at the mage's head. The ward gave no resistance to the weapon, and it killed him instantly. Surely the ward would have stopped arrows, so J'zargo concluded it had something to do with the magical field already cocooning the rock.

Triumphant, the dragons chased the fleeing infantry back out through the gates as they shut. Those caught within were captured, or killed if they fought on.

"something's wrong. The Thalmor are evacuating the entire plain." K'ira watched as the High Elf army crept away from the city, as a thundercloud rolled in, along with an unearthly screeching. The dragons gathered defensively as hundreds of thousands of bats swarmed them, then as quickly as they came, they dissipated. Lightning flashed across the sky and struck a Blood Dragon. "LOK VAH KOOR!"

Countless dragons joined this chorus of Clear Skies, but the storm remained, and the dragons were forced to the ground. Then, without any warning, the wall beneath K'ira, Brelyna, and J'zargo cracked, crumbled and fell.

K'ira could hear his heart pounding as he stumbled to his feet, and he drew Dragonbreak. Its crystal blade shone like water under the sunlight. He looked ahead, and saw that the lake around the city was freezing again, this time all of it. At his right, Brelyna began flinging thunderbolts into the thickening fog, and to his left, J'zargo aimed the Staff of Magnus at an approaching warrior. K'ira filled his lungs with air, and bellowed, "YOL TOOR SHUL!"

In the wake of the flames, the enemy forces almost all growled like animals, and ten heavily armoured soldiers sprinted toward the three. Brelyna obliterated one with lightning, but the opponent J'zargo targeted with the Staff of Magnus survived and attacked him. J'zargo dodged the Ebony sword with ease, his Khajit reflexes honed by over a year training with K'ira. He swung the glowing head of the staff into his weakened opponent, and his skull cracked inside his warped helmet as he died.

K'ira leapt forward over the ice, and stabbed an Ebony-coated opponent through the heart. Dragonbreak briefly caught in the dead foe's armour, but K'ira tore it free with a growl. Three down, seven to go.

K'ira had been a werewolf for less than two years, but he had spent an unusually long time in his beast form. With the Ring of Hircine, he could shift at will, and for several months, he had relied on it completely in battle. He had found himself thinking as a wolf, rather than a man, and had nearly lost his mind in bloodlust once. This was shortly after he had met J'zargo and Brelyna, and then, he had read an Elder Scroll in Mzark. Rather than driving him blind and insane, it had somehow repaired his mind. Still, even though he was no longer a werewolf, Hircine's curse having been replaced by Akatosh's gift, he still fought like a wild beast. However, today his animal instincts were chillingly strong. He roared as he decapitated another foe, and with the same stroke, slashed across the fifth opponent's chest. This enemy raised his sword weakly, and brought it down over K'ira's head. K'ira fell to one knee, and raised Dragonbreak horizontally, blocking the strike. He kicked up off the ground, and rose to his full height, pushing both swords high into the air, shocking his foe. Without hesitation, K'ira brought Dragonbreak down with both hands, striking his enemy on the shoulder. The downward diagonal slice cut the foe completely in half. "fus…" the remaining five enemies tried to run from the Shout, but to no avail. "RO DAH!" triumphant, K'ira charged into the fog, and began to destroy these remaining foes.

K'ira's blood ran cold as he heard Brelyna scream. He spun, and saw the flash of a lightning bolt through the fog, illuminating a horrifying scene. Brelyna was pinned by a mage in dark brown robes, whose fangs were in her neck. It was a vampire, and no ordinary vampire, for the thunderbolt J'zargo threw at him rebounded off his back, and hit J'zargo in the face. K'ira immediately unleashed his dragon form, and with a single beat of his wings, closed the distance between himself and Brelyna. He bent his head down and snatched the vampire in his jaws, then swung his head upward, flinging the vampire into the air. It grew two massive bat wings, and hovered above K'ira, throwing Ice Spears at him. No Shout could contain K'ira's fury, so he instead shot into the air, and collided with the vampire, catching him in his rear claws. K'ira curled around the vampire in midair, and stopped beating his wings, instead biting his opponent in half. He then transformed back into an elf, and landed on his feet far below, next to Brelyna, who was losing blood rapidly. He raised his hand to heal the wound, but as he touched her neck, the golden light of his spell went dim. Brelyna opened her eyes, and looked around, delirious. Her eyes were not the vivid red they usually were, but instead, white with pale blue irises. She blinked and groaned, and her eyes went back to normal, as K'ira lifted her in his arms. There were no more enemies in sight, so he took her through the destroyed wall into the Imperial City.

X

"good gods," whispered Horus Venicius, as K'ira laid Brelyna on his table. The hospital had referred K'ira to him.

"you're familiar with this?"

"yes… it's vampirism, of an extremely rare strain. She'll live, but she'll live with bloodlust for the rest of her life." Venicius scrambled to find a book on the shelf nearby.

"get back here, you idiot! This is my wife!" K'ira thundered, and Venicius quickly returned. "what can you do?"

"I can't cure this, if that's what you mean. All I can do is warn you of the symptoms she'll suffer. I suggest you get some blood ready, it'll accelerate her healing. When she wakes, which will be soon, she'll either look for blood… or a pulse," he said darkly.

K'ira tensed, then looked around. A glass of brandy was sitting on the arm of Venicius' chair, and he poured it on the floor. The Imperial said nothing, even as K'ira rolled up the sleeve of his robe, and cut open his left wrist, letting the blood drip into the glass. He healed his wound with magic when the cup was full, and asked, "what exactly is this strain?"

"it's called Paragon Nosferatia, supposedly one of the original species of vampire that Molag Bol unleashed on the world. I can tell by the coma-like state she's in, how much the wound is bleeding, and the way her eyes flash white from time to time. There are two varieties, Carriers and Wraiths. A Carrier must be born, not bitten, and it can pass the disease along through a bite. It has wings, and will die after only a few minutes under sunlight. But a Wraith, like this woman, can survive in sunlight, and cannot pass on the strain. They have no wings, and can survive without blood for far longer. However, they must still drink. When a Wraith Nosferatu drinks blood, their ability to heal becomes far greater, the muscles become stronger, and they gain magical abilities surpassing that of any human." Brelyna hissed, and squirmed on the table, then leapt up as she woke fully, crouching on the table and looking around, mouth slightly open. Her hands were half-curled into fists, almost like claws. Venicius said slowly, "don't waste your time trying to calm her. Just give her the blood."

K'ira extended his hand, holding the glass filled with his blood, and Brelyna snatched it, immediately draining it. Faintly, she said, "thank you," and then blinked slowly. "oh, gods. Did I just…?"

"yeah."

"and I'm one of them?"

"yeah."

Brelyna jumped off the table, and made for the door. She threw it open, and let the sun hit her face. She squinted against it, but didn't move, instead she simply let the golden rays shine down on the skin of her face and hands, sighing in relief.

"it doesn't hurt. It doesn't hurt!" she yelled triumphantly, and stepped out into the afternoon light. The storm and fog summoned by the vampire and his followers was gone, and apparently, so was the Thalmor army. She froze, realizing who had obviously given the blood in the glass, and then gasped in horror when she faced the fact that she now needed blood to survive.

K'ira turned to Venicius. "give me any books and records you have that can help us with this. I'll pay you whatever you want."

"wait. Two dark elves, married, one wearing a robe of dragon scales? It's you! The two Dragonborn, and that makes you K'ira. Return here tomorrow at noon. I'll give you everything I have on Paragon Nosferatia, and in return, you'll answer me some questions. I'm a scientist, you see, and your case needs to be documented."

K'ira and Brelyna weren't familiar with the term "scientist," but they both decided not to ask at the moment.

X

"blood." Brelyna looked at the glass in front of her with both revulsion and fascination. "it's yours again, isn't it?"

K'ira responded with a shrug. "it's not like other people willingly give blood to vampires."

"exactly. Gods damn it, why me?" she sighed. "I'd rather not die, but I hate living like this. It was bad enough being a Dunmer in Skyrim, but now, I drink people's blood to stay alive. If anyone knew…" Brelyna stopped, and sniffed. She downed the glass, and shuddered. "it actually tastes good. How horrifying is that? I like drinking blood!" she leaned back into the chair. "I'm a monster."

"no, you're not. Just because assholes like the Dawnguard and the Vigil of Stendarr say all vampires are evil, doesn't make it true. The Companions actually like werewolves. The Dark Brotherhood welcomes both species with open arms."

"yeah. No offence, Listener, but the Dark Brotherhood isn't exactly a fan base to brag about."

"fair enough. But you know, I did scary things as a werewolf, and I never once thought of myself as a monster. An animal, maybe, but…"

"what kind of stuff?" Brelyna asked, with genuine curiosity.

"I, uh… I've eaten people. Not whole, and only as a wolf, but it wasn't really that bad. Sort of tastes like beef, or goat, depending on who it was."

Brelyna looked down at her glass, almost empty, with a small pool of blood in the bottom, still warm from K'ira's arm. "that's pretty hardcore. Did you ever try dragon?"

"it tasted… chewy, and dry. With a hint of charcoal, because dragon corpses don't last long around me."

"maybe I'll fare better. Dragon blood… oh gods, are we really talking about this?"

"relax. What's the worst of it? You drink blood. I bet a thousand septims it'll pass for brandy anywhere in Cyrodiil."

"no, K'ira, that's not the worst of it." she took a deep breath, and admitted slowly, "the worst part is, I'm enjoying eating you. For the past couple of hours, I've been fantasizing about biting you."

K'ira whistled in surprise. After a moment of thought, he leaned back in his chair, and looked at the ceiling of their room. "Venicius said you can't transmit vampirism, so you're welcome to try."

Brelyna gaped, showing her new fangs. "I'm not gonna bite you! At least, I damn well hope not. This is insanity!"

"you want insanity, try visiting Sheogorath for a dinner party inside the brain of an insane, long-dead Emperor."

"I… wait, what?"

"I never told you that one? It's a good story."

"hold on. Sheogorath, lord of insanity. But more importantly, he's a Daedric Prince! And vampirism was created by the Daedric Prince Molag Bol. Akatosh himself called me Champion of the Daedra. Maybe that's why I was bitten."

"I hope not. Molag Bol is the reigning commander of the enemy."

Brelyna shivered, and asked quickly, "you don't think he can control me, do you?"

"not really, but we can't rule it out." K'ira stood. "I'm going to go find Alduin, but that offer for a bite is still open. Just don't chew, 'cause that would hurt." he laughed, and headed for the door. Brelyna curled up in the warmth of her chair, and stared into the almost empty glass of his blood. Suddenly her eyes flew wide open, and she realized she was still thirsty, and K'ira was gone. According to the book Venicius had given her, she could survive almost a month without blood, but for now, she craved it. It hadn't tasted like blood, it wasn't salty or metallic, it was sweet and delicious. She wanted more, and with K'ira already leaving, that meant she would have to either go without, or hunt. Neither sounded pleasant. "damn it." She stood, and looked around for something to keep busy with. Her armour? There were apparently a few Thalmor stragglers still hiding in forests outside the city. They could make a nice snack… if High Elf blood tasted half as good as K'ira's, she would be happy. It was time to go hunting.


	6. Destructive Forces

There was total silence in the darkness of the forest. Three Thalmor soldiers in Elven armour were camped around a dead fire, swigging brandy and sitting on a log. Even the crickets were silent, so when an animal hiss sounded through the trees, the soldiers leapt to their feet, swords drawn. Then came an evil laugh behind them, and they spun. A rustle of leaves took their attention again, and by now, they were panicked.

Brelyna was enjoying it, the feeling of power and accomplishment that comes from cornering prey, the moment before the hunt ends and dinner begins. She was above them, in the branches of the tree, ready to leap down and kill them, and then…

"up there!" one of the Thalmor had spotted her, and was readying a fireball. She laughed again, a deep, evil chuckle, as she let go of the branches, and the fireball shot above her head. Catlike, she landed on her feet in the middle of the three soldiers, and let her momentum push her downward into a crouch. She grabbed a soldier in each hand by their ankles, and whipped them into the air, aiming lightning bolts at them as they shot upward, much higher than she had intended. The third, she tackled to the ground, and immediately sank her fangs into his throat, drinking his blood. It tasted similar to K'ira's, but slightly bitter, and there was an additional hint of alcohol, the brandy he had been drinking. The two other Thalmor thumped into the ground, already dead, but Brelyna's thirst was gone. She rolled off the Thalmor corpse, and lay on her back in the grass. "idiots," she muttered. "I've known children to fight better." Of course, the child in question was the 800-year-old vampire Babette, but still. She put her arms behind her head, and licked the blood from her lips, relaxing after a successful hunt, until a branch snapped loudly behind her. She sprang to her feet, and raised hands alight with frost magic.

K'ira put on a look of fake terror, and looked down at the foot he had brought down on a dead branch, perhaps intentionally. "don't kill me," he whispered.

"how in Oblivion did you find me?"

"I heard these poor guys scream, and I came to see what the commotion was. I still haven't found Alduin."

"and how did you get here? We're almost a mile from the city." She crossed her arms, smirking, because she knew the answer.

"okay, fine, I was following you. I came back to the inn room to grab my armour, and saw you climbing out the window."

"so you saw everything?"

"yep."

"and you're not freaked out at all?"

"nope."

"because you've done worse," Brelyna said, and was amazed at how calm she sounded.

"look at it this way. The first guy I ate was a Whiterun city guard. I'd had a full dinner only a couple hours before that, so I ate him because I let the beast control me, not because I was hungry. What you're doing isn't the same choice, yours is 'drink, or die.' It's actually better that you're getting used to it, maybe even enjoying it."

Brelyna looked down at the corpse next to her left foot, drained of blood completely. "at least I'm not eating you. Yeah, I guess I could get used to it… so, you haven't found Alduin?"

"no, but while I was following you, I picked up on a conversation about a huge black dragon eating sheep on a farm north of the city."

"he probably figures he's owed something. What's the plan?"

"we're going to pay the farmer for the sheep, because picking a fight with Alduin will only destroy the fields."

X

Excerpt from Horus Venicius' _Strains of the Vampiric Affliction_, page 136

_Paragon Nosferatia is the rarest known species of vampire, and all documentation available to mankind comes from firsthand testimony from the remarkably cooperative vampires themselves. Patients who were bitten, not born as vampires, known as Wraiths or Nosferatu, describe symptoms very different to the contagious Carrier strain. Most notably is a complete tolerance of sunlight, extremely rare among vampires. However, they are still nocturnal by nature. Also, a bitten vampire is unable to pass on the virus. _

_After being blooded, a young Nosferatu will show little self-control, often only enough to prevent attacking a loved one, but sometimes even this is beyond their abilities. Regardless of age, a vampire of this strain can drink a body dry in just under twenty seconds. By contrast, Nosferatu can survive a month between feeding._

_Nosferatu vampires, immediately after feeding, are at their most powerful. They possess magical abilities known to exist only in this race, and their muscles become far stronger. After feeding, a vampire can easily fight or flee to safety. This newfound power gradually degrades until, after about three weeks, a Nosferatu is almost human. A few patients explain that they wait as long as possible to feed, in order to feel human. _

_The magical abilities of a Nosferatu have been likened to that of Skyrim's Volkihar Lords, the ability to convert small amounts of blood into vast amounts of magicka, and use this power with spells a human being is completely unable to replicate. Since there is no known detailed account of a Nosferatu vampire actually fighting, knowledge of this blood magic is scarce._

X

Alduin raised his head from a kill, and licked blood from his muzzle. "joorre. I have made my decision."

"and I have made mine," K'ira replied with a growl. "if you're not with us the next time we are attacked, I will put you to death myself."

Alduin snarled. His rustled his folded wings, and cocked his head to one side, judging how best to attack K'ira. Brelyna darted forward, hands alight with a deep scarlet glow, and stood inches from Alduin's face. She glared, her red eyes against Alduin's own. The World-Eater sensed her fury, but not even she could intimidate him. He rose, his head soaring above hers, and growled again. "my decision is this. I will fight for this Empire, but not for you. There is a world to be eaten still, but perhaps not this one. Countless realms of Oblivion await my conquering Thu'um, and I will cast down the Daedra Lords, to name Oblivion my own. Your world, by contrast, is small game."

"Mehrunes Dagon, Daedric Prince of Destruction, is cast into the darkness by my hand," K'ira replied. "finding another god of destruction to fill his throne is not something I'm opposed to."

"our deal is not yet complete," Alduin added quickly. "I will make it very clear that I care not for your laws. When I am hungry, I will eat, and it is best that your soldiers get out of my way." Alduin bent down and buried his snout in the dead sheep, munching loudly.

"I will not be paying for the damages you cause after tonight," K'ira answered, "but I'm not your babysitter either. I'll only suggest you eat the enemy cattle, not ours."

X

Excerpt from the journal of Brelyna Maryon

_The last time I drank blood was two weeks ago. I don't feel weak, although my magic is definitely not as strong as it was when I first drank. I'm starting to sleep all day, and roam the city at night. I can smell other vampires, they're coming back. When the enemy returns, I'll have plenty to drink, but I'm not sure if I can wait that long. Everyone is starting to look like food, especially K'ira. If I asked, I'm sure he'd give me blood, but that's a last resort. I don't want to slowly eat my husband. _

_The Vigil of Stendarr have sent a division of their most powerful mages. When they arrive tonight, there will be a party already in progress at the Emeperor's palace. This is all so wrong. K'ira killed the kid's father, for gods' sake. And what's worse is the werewolves, the hunters of Hircine, are already here, serving the Empire. They all stink of wet dog, and the Vigil will notice them. If I stink of blood, or brimstone, or whatever, then they'll probably try to kill me. I'm the embodiment of what they hate, and all of us will be at that party. _

X

Brelyna kept a watchful eye over a werewolf and Vigilant talking at the bar, waiting for the mage to realize exactly who he was chatting with. She took a deep drink of Black-Briar Mead imported from Skyrim, and wished it was warm red blood, but it wasn't. It was mead.

K'ira stood on a balcony, surrounded by guards, talking with Titus Mede III, only twenty years old. "your father, he was a good man," K'ira said sheepishly, and set down his mug of brandy.

Titus drank his mead, and said slowly, "I know you killed him. Calm down, I'm not going to arrest you." He finished the imported drink, and said, "tell me everything. From the moment you got the contract. I swear to you, on my honor as Emperor of Tamriel, that if you tell me the truth, you'll leave this room alive."

K'ira sighed. "the man's name was Amaund Motierre. He seemed to believe your father's death would change the Empire for the better, but that's not why I killed your father. It wasn't for money, it's because Sithis told me to do it. So I followed Motierre's instructions. Vittoria Vici died to draw the Emperor to her funeral. I killed Gaius Maro to mislead the Penitus Oculatus, to make them believe the assassination attempt was over. I killed a man in Markarth in the coldest blood, to ensure the plot stayed secret, after he told me where the Gourmet was. Then I killed the Gourmet, and used his writ of passage to get into the tower. I stabbed the man I thought was the Emperor, and fled, only to be told by Commander Maro that I had killed an innocent decoy. After I escaped him, I headed back to the Dark Brotherhood sanctuary, and I found it in flames. Only three assassins survived. After that, the Night Mother told me that I still needed to kill him. Your father. Motierre told me he was onboard the Katariah north of Solitude, so I got aboard. I fought my way to his cabin, and I found him waiting for me." K'ira looked down into his empty mug, miserable. "he said he was ready to die. All he wanted was that Motierre died for his crime. I made sure that happened… your father was the most honorable Emperor there could be. I promised him his death would be painless, and I kept that promise. I'm sorry, even to this day."

Titus Mede III turned to his guards. "leave us." The guards left, and Mede said to K'ira, "there will soon be an attempt on my life, so I want you to find the assassin, and kill him. He's a High Elf, priest of Namira, and he's in Skingrad right now. Kill him, and I'll pay what Motierre paid."

"I'll do it for free. I owe it to you and your father." K'ira stood, and added, "for what it's worth, I'm sorry."

Brelyna's hiss sounded throughout the courtyard, and K'ira ran to help her.

X

While K'ira had been talking to Titus Mede, Brelyna had been spotted as a vampire by three Vigils of Stendarr. Daggers in hand, they had approached, thinking they were unseen, but Brelyna paralyzed one, kicked another in the gut, and tackled the third. It was then that she hissed, and said to the Vigil, "I could drink you dry, and no one would dare block my leisurely stroll out of this courtyard. I'll admit it, I'm damned thirsty, but I'm not a monster. All of you," she said louder as K'ira approached and she stood, "you people are the monsters. You refuse to accept reality, you refuse to believe that there can be light in the darkness. Look around, Vigilants, and you'll see six werewolves, one of them a necromancer, and me, a vampire. Yet we're all here, ready to fight the Daedra, to uphold the freedom of Tamriel, and you still call us evil!" she was shouting now, and concluded, "if you people are too high and mighty to work with us monsters, then go back to Stendarr, and pray for his mercy, because if the Daedra win, they won't have any!"

K'ira entwined his hand with Brelyna's, and added, "I was a werewolf, and I'd still be one if Akatosh himself hadn't seen fit to make me a dragon instead. I am K'ira, Dragonborn and Champion of Akatosh, and I challenge anyone here to tell me that I and my wife are evil."

There was silence, so K'ira continued, "no? Good. Then we will work together, and vanquish the Daedra, the Thalmor, and all the evils of this world. I've already slain Mehrunes Dagon, and Brelyna banished Namira. It's only a matter of time before the rest come, and will they see self-righteous squabbling, or will they face the combined might of all Tamriel's heroes? I say we stand together, and win this war! Who's with me?"

K'ira and Brelyna both took in a deep breath, then sighed in relief as the party erupted with cheering. "I think our work here is done," Brelyna said cheerfully. "so, how'd things go with the Emperor?"

"I told him about his father, and now he wants me to save his life from an assassin in Skingrad."

X

K'ira shut the wooden chest containing his armour and Nightingale Feather, and set Dragonbreak on top of it, sheath, belt and all. He turned around, and saw Brelyna staring at him, breathing heavily. "Brii, what's wrong?" She didn't answer, simply lunged forward, and sank her teeth into the flesh where his neck met his shoulder. K'ira tensed, but then relaxed. He laid his hands on her back. "it's okay. Drink."

She whimpered slightly as she bit harder, drawing blood and sucking it away. After a few seconds, she pulled back, lips bright red with his blood, and said, "I'm sorry, K'ira."

"I already told you it was okay, don't worry about it…" she was shivering in his arms. "good gods, are you alright?"

She realized she was shaking, and answered, "I feel fine. I have so much energy, though. You?"

He ran his hand over the wound on his neck, and healed it with a golden light. "never better."

Their eyes met, and K'ira pulled her closer, into a kiss. Locked in each other's embrace, they tumbled backward onto the bed, and Brelyna straddled him, realizing this was the perfect way to relieve her excess energy. As K'ira tugged gently at the shoulder of her dress, she let herself fall to the left, next to him in the thick, feather-stuffed blankets. She pulled away briefly, and slid the dress over her head, throwing it over the edge of the bed. K'ira did the same with his coat and shirt, and kicked off his trousers as they kissed again.

X

Sunlight poured down through a window, and warmed Brelyna's bare back. She mumbled something, and even she was uncertain what she was trying to say. She rolled off the bed, slowly, carefully, and licked her lips. Blood, again. She looked back onto the bed, and saw K'ira, with another wound on his neck, this one still healing. He was still half-asleep, but he, too, noticed the wound, and ran a finger over it. "sorry," she said sheepishly.

"are you kidding? That was the best night of my life!" he sat up, and healed the bite. "not that I remember all of it," he admitted.

"me either. I probably drank half the Black-Briar at that party."

"and half of me," K'ira added, but winced as he realized how vindictive he sounded. "not that I mind," he added quickly. He stood up, and went for his clothes.

Brelyna gently touched the dress on the floor, but went for her armour instead. "how are we getting to Skingrad, anyway?"

"flying," K'ira replied, and nodded to his sword. Brelyna grinned.


End file.
